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Getting answers

9 posts on getting answers, all written by Laura, a UK registered nurse, and sourced at the bottom of each page.

1 October 2026When your GP says it's just IBS and you don't feel heardFrom a nurse who has been the patient too, with the sentences to use when you go back.1 October 2026A seven day symptom log your GP will readThe columns that matter, the ones that do not, and how to turn a week of notes into one page a GP can take in at a glance.1 October 2026NHS 111, GP or pharmacy? Where to go with a gut symptomFive doors, and the symptoms that belong behind each one, in the NHS's own wording where it counts.1 October 2026Can I get the low FODMAP diet on the NHS?The diet is meant to come with a dietitian, and how you reach one depends on your postcode. Here is the route, and the words to use.1 October 2026IBS or something else? Conditions with the same symptomsNot a way to work out what you have. A list of reasons to ask your GP, in the NHS's own terms.1 October 2026How IBS is diagnosed in the UK, and the tests to expectThere is no single test for IBS. Here is what the guideline behind your appointment asks for, in plain words.1 October 2026Where to get free UK support for gut symptomsWho to ring, what they can and cannot do for you, and one name you will still see recommended that you should not follow.1 October 2026Do home food intolerance tests work?The NHS, the British Dietetic Association and Guts UK have all looked at these tests. Here is what they concluded, and what does identify a trigger.29 September 2026What to tell your GP about gut symptomsFour things a GP needs to hear, the questions worth asking, and the symptoms that mean you stop reading and ring.